Most aged care residents believe their needs are not being met, new survey finds

A study published by the Aged Care Royal Commission shows only a quarter of elderly respondents felt their needs were always being met.

Aged care advocates have urged government accountability on the back of the royal commission report.

Aged care advocates have urged government accountability on the back of the royal commission report. Source: SBS News

Just a quarter of people receiving residential aged care in Australia feel their needs are always met, while the figure for home care is even lower.

The Flinders University survey, released on Tuesday, investigated the aged care experience of 1,000 elderly men and women.

They were asked about their thoughts on social connection, care and support, daily living and complaint processes.
Of people in residential care, 24 per cent said all their needs were always met, while the figure for home care was 20 per cent, numbers the report said were "alarming".

The study was published by the aged care royal commission, which will deliver its final report on the sector on 26 February.

An interim report described the aged care system as a tale of neglect which is failing to meet the needs of older and often very often vulnerable people.
The commissioners said aged care services were underfunded and did not deliver uniformly safe and quality care.

An alliance of more than 1,000 organisations that deliver the bulk of government-subsidised care on Monday urged the federal government to increase sector funding.

In a separate survey of 10,000 Australians, Flinders University found 61 per cent of taxpayers would be willing to pay more to better support aged care.

Most adults view aged care as a vital social service, with all key aspects of care considered important or very important by the vast majority, the survey found.

Canberra's handling of aged care has been criticised during the coronavirus pandemic, with 685 residents dying after becoming infected.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP, SBS


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world